


An Old Friend

by Bookie_on_the_Offbeat



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Action & Romance, Canon Related, Character Growth, Complete, Established Relationship, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Introspection, LGBTQ Character of Color, LGBTQ Female Character, Original Character(s), Past Relationship(s), Plot, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Series, Soft Love, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:47:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22483585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bookie_on_the_Offbeat/pseuds/Bookie_on_the_Offbeat
Summary: Hera and Kanan are on a mission to rescue Janae, an old friend of Hera’s. But there is more to this “old friend” than Kanan really knows...
Relationships: Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

Kanan stood behind Hera, a dubious expression on his face. They both looked out at a wall of enemy ships. “Remind me again why we’re doing this?” he asked. Hera flipped a few switches on the control panel as she replied, “I’ve got an old friend who needs out. The Empire has caught on to her work with the Rebellion.”

Kanan looked at the blockade. “She must be someone special.”

“She is,” Hera said with a note of pride in her voice. “Her name is Janae. The weapons she’s made for us are ingenious, the Empire can’t keep up with them.”  
After a pause, Hera turned to the matter at hand. “Our cloaking device won’t work. These ships are so close together we won’t be able to fly between them without being detected. I say we uncloak and take them by surprise.”

Kanan grinned. “Yes, Captain.” He did a mock salute and ran for the Ghost’s gunner turret.

Hera did some quick calculating. There were two star destroyers on the outside with four smaller ships on the inside. If she could just provoke the center ships to change formation, she could get in through the gap.

“Kanan, be ready for TIEs!” she warned.

She uncloaked their ship, and within five seconds, TIE fighters swarmed out of the star destroyers. She trusted Kanan to take care of them while she flew at the center ships, trying to startle them.

“C’mon,” she muttered, “Where’s my jumpy pilot?”

One broke position to confront her.

“Yes!” She yelled. She spiraled the Ghost toward them then soared above it at the last second, right through the gap. She dodged heavy fire until the Ghost was hidden by the planet Lenos’ thick, purple atmosphere. They were safe.

When Hera heard Kanan walk in, she said, “That was too easy.” He took the copilot’s seat and met her eyes with a grim expression. But it wasn’t worth worrying about yet.

She leaned back in her chair and said, “I’m glad the kids are with the fleet.”

Kanan reached out a hand to stroke one of her lekkus. “I’m glad, too.” he said mischievously.

Hera felt tingles down the length of her body. “After this mission,” she promised.

He pouted. “After the mission, the kids will be back.”

“Well, it might take us a little longer to get home than usual,” she tilted her head at him with one eyebrow raised. “We might have to stop and refuel.”

“With your ‘old friend.’” He reminded.

“Oh, she’ll know to keep to herself the minute she sees us together.”


	2. Mission Possible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kanan continues to have suspicions about Hera’s “old friend” as they carry out their rescue mission.

Hera flew the Ghost deeper into Lenos’ atmosphere. On its own, Lenos was uninhabitable and couldn’t sustain life. The land exhaled a purple gas, making the air toxic. When she found the main hanger opening, she flew through it and then through a tunnel to a private storage hangar owned by Janae’s cousin. Once they landed, they quickly dressed in clothes similar to the garb worn by Lenoans. Hera stepped out of the Ghost wearing a high-collared silver jumpsuit with her lekkus curled up in a multicolored headscarf. Kanan’s headscarf and jumpsuit were gold. 

“It’s not really my color,” he grumbled.

“I think you look handsome,” Hera teased.

Kanan rolled his eyes, but secretly he was pleased. Nevertheless, he changed the subject to the matter at hand. “How are we going to find Janae?” 

Hera showed him her thin silver bracelet. “It’s a tracking bracelet, it vibrates to tell me our proximity to her.” 

Kanan had noticed the bracelet long before, but he hadn’t thought to ask why she wore it. Now he wished he had. 

She never took it off. 

“Kanan.” Hera said urgently, snapping him out of his thoughts. 

He nodded. “Let’s do this.” He resolved to stay focused. 

The halls were circular tunnels with a thin flat walk space, warmly lit. In every direction they could see the purple gases surrounding them. Suddenly Hera stopped and went to retrace her steps. She stepped closer to the wall. “The signal is stronger here.” She said. 

“Maybe it’s a trick panel,” Kanan said. He moved in close to her and closed his eyes. 

“I can sense something outside,” His brow furrowed in concentration. “No, not outside. There’s a room behind that panel.” 

Hera ran a hand down the side, then swiped her bracelet across it. The panel gellified. Kanan and Hera stepped through it together.


	3. It’s Complicated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kanan and Hera’s ex-lover meet for the first time.

Janae’s hiding place was surprisingly grand. It was small, but well-lit and tastefully arranged. With all the vibrant paintings and sculptures, it didn’t look like anywhere Kanan had ever been before. 

Suddenly, a figure rose from a chair and threw herself to Hera in a blur of dark brown, blue, and yellow. She grasped both of Hera’s hands in her own and tilted her forehead to hers. Hera pulled back before their heads could meet, but Kanan had seen enough to realize that this Janae wasn’t simply some “old friend.” Had Hera thought he wouldn’t see the truth that was so clear before his eyes? Not just anyone could touch her so intimately. Janae had most certainly been Hera’s lover once. 

When Hera pulled back from her, Janae released her hands and recovered by touching her scarf, as if checking that everything was tucked into place. Her skin looked especially dark against the nearly blinding yellow of her headscarf. Standing still, Kanan could see that her eyes were bright pink. 

Hera was the first to speak. 

“Janae, this is Kanan, my fellow crew member. Kanan, this is Janae, my friend. I met her soon after I left Ryloth for the first time.” 

Janae rolled her eyes a little in Kanan’s direction. He understood perfectly. Janae didn’t believe he was _just_ her crew member any more than he believed she had been _just_ her friend. 

“You always downplay your relationships, don’t you, Hera.” She said bitterly. Then she sighed, and the bitterness drained out of her voice. “It’s alright, I’ll get over it. Just please don’t insult me by pretending you two are anything but what you _clearly_ are.” 

Kanan could understand her frustration. Hera was good at ignoring the politics of love when they were inconvenient. Which was most of the time. It could be frustrating, but more often he was glad they weren’t open about their relationship with other people. 

He didn’t want to think too much about what his relationship with Hera meant for him as a Jedi. The Order lived on in him, and sometimes he felt the pressures it placed on him to not form attachment. There were days when he was bitter over it, days that felt like the shadow of the Order took his love for Hera and desecrated it with shame and guilt. Other days, he felt at peace with being Hera’s lover. Most days he was a little bit of both. At the end of the day, he trusted the Force, and the Force was calling him to be with Hera. 

He was drawn out of his thoughts by Hera getting down to business. 

“Are you ready?” She asked Janae. 

Janae walked back to where she had been sitting and tapped the corner of her desk lightly with two fingers. The holocharts immediately disappeared as the desk folded in on itself until it was only the size of a large datapad. She picked it up and slipped it down her back into a pocket attached to her jumpsuit. 

“I’m ready,” she said. 

“Then let’s move,” said Kanan. 


	4. Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janae, Hera, and Kanan make an escape plan after they are trapped on Lenos by the Empire’s deconweb.

They saw no one as they made their way to the private hangar. Soon enough, they were in the relative safety of the Ghost. All of the trio were relieved to be inside, but uneasiness lingered. 

“The Empire has something planned.” Kanan said. “I don’t know what, but it’s the only explanation for why this has been so easy.” 

“I agree,” said Hera. “I don’t want to stick around, but I don’t want to rush into anything we’re not prepared for.” 

“How will we know what to prepare for?” asked Janae. “If we stay any longer we’re going to be found.” 

Chopper rolled into the conversation. He made his clucks and pointed his arm at the ceiling. “Chopper says to look outside,” Hera translated. 

They went up to the turret and looked through it to what they could see beyond the hangar window. It looked like a tight web of orange light, sizzling with electricity. Janae gasped. 

“It’s a deconweb,” she explained, “Any ship that goes through it will be torn apart.” 

“How do we get through it?” Hera asked. 

“I don’t know.” 

“There has to be a way. If you explain it, we can come up with something together.” Hera gave her a comforting smile. 

“It’s what it sounds like, a deconstruction web.” Janae began. “It’s an energy field, like a web that surrounds the planet. The gaps are too small for any ship to pass through. If we fly through that, we’ll get torn apart.” 

“Where does the energy come from?” Kanan asked. 

“There are six major anchors.” Some of the fear left Janae’s eyes as she spoke passionately. “One for each cardinal direction. The major anchors feed energy through lines to six minor anchors which provide energy to six smaller anchors. The major anchors get their energy from our sun and store enough energy to last the night.” 

“What if we took out a major anchor with our canons?” Hera asked. 

“We can’t,” she said simply. “It would only deflect our fire. The only anchors we could potentially destroy are the smallest ones. But that still wouldn’t give a wide enough gap for your ship to get through.” 

There was a moment of quiet then— 

“What about the Phantom?” Hera asked. 

“Hera, we can’t just leave the Ghost here!” Kanan protested. 

She closed her eyes for a moment, but when she opened them they were filled with complete determination. “If the Phantom will fit, then we’ll have to leave the Ghost behind.” 

Janae placed her hand on Hera’s arm. “You might not have to make that sacrifice, Hera.” She removed her desk from her back. It unfolded at a simple touch. She tapped and swiped in rapid succession until a holoimage hovered between them. “If one of us goes in the Phantom and destroys anchors here, here, and here, the Ghost might be able to slip through sideways. But it’ll be a tight fit.” 

“Someone will have to be in the Ghost to draw their fire.” Kanan said. 

“Well, no contest.” Hera gave a small laugh. “It will have to be me. I’m not letting either of you get my ship blown up.” 

Janae looked fearful. “Shouldn’t the Jedi...” 

“You haven’t seen me fly.” Hera said confidently. But Kanan had been startled into silence. He wondered how Janae knew he was a Jedi. 

When Janae left to upgrade the weapons system, he turned to Hera. 

“How does she know I’m a Jedi?” He wondered aloud. Hera didn’t reply. 

“I think I’m going to have a chat with your ‘old friend,’” he said. It came out a little more biting than he had intended. He turned to leave then stopped when he heard Hera say, “Kanan.” He turned back to look at her. Her expression was soft. “Janae was more than my friend. I’m telling you now because I know I can trust both of us to focus. It’s a story for another time.” 

He cupped her cheek. “I know,” he said. “I understand.” She held his cheek with her own hand in response, rubbing a thumb along his scruff. He read the “I love you” in her eyes. 

He dropped his hand first. 

“I trust you.” he said. Then he climbed down the ladder. It felt like the right thing to say. Once he said it, he realized he meant it with his whole self. To be able to trust someone so completely was invigorating.


	5. Escaping the Empire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kanan talks with Janae before the trio attempts their escape from the Empire’s clutches.

Kanan found Janae in the belly of the Ghost. 

“Everything check out alright?” he asked. 

She nodded. “Your weapons are surprisingly advanced for such a clunker. I underestimated your Ghost.” 

“You didn’t do any upgrades?

“Oh, I definitely did a little tweaking. A little something to boost the velocity of your firepower.” She looked at him when she said, “But you didn’t come to talk to me about the weapons system.”

There was no point in being careful, so Kanan took a blunt approach. “How do you know I’m a Jedi?”

Janae considered him silently. Eventually she said, “I’m force-sensitive. My mother taught me to hide it. She was afraid of the Empire, but she was also afraid how my people would treat me if they knew. They hate Jedi.”

“But your people live for peace,” Kanan said, surprised. He knew that Lenoans were originally from the planet Mirinas, but had defected in protest after the planet joined the Separatists in the Clone Wars. 

Janae laughed sharply. “They’re anti-war. It’s different. The way they see it, Jedi fed the war with their generals and clones. Fighting to end a war made a bigger one.” 

“I take it you don’t agree with them.”

“I agree enough. The Jedi Order fucked up and left us with this mess. But I believe some wars are worth fighting when it means fighting for freedom. Like this one.”

That struck a nerve. “This isn’t a war.” he said tersely. 

She looked him square in the eye. “Isn’t it?” 

He tried to hide his discomfort and change the topic to a more urgent one. “How much longer do you need?” 

“Ten minutes should be enough.”

“Good, I’ll tell Hera,” he said before he left her. 

He tried to ignore the nagging truth of her words. Uncomfortably, he couldn’t entirely disagree with her assessment of the Jedi Order. But he resented the implication that the Jedi had ended the Republic with their own mistakes. 

That guilt shouldn’t lie entirely with the Jedi. 

He took advantage of the matter at hand to shift his mind away from his troubled thoughts. 

***

Ten minutes later saw Kanan and Janae climbing into the Phantom. 

Hera was already in flight position. Once everyone was settled, she flew them out of the hangars and into open space. On Hera’s cue, Kanan immediately disengaged the Phantom. 

Kanan and Hera didn’t wish each other goodbye, they never did. A goodbye was a chance to never see each other again. They refused to give the universe that chance. 

Janae obviously didn’t have the same superstition. 

“See you soon,” she said over the comms. 

“I’ll give them hell,” Hera promised. “Stay behind me, I’ll give you an opening. Get out there and into hyperspace as soon as you can.” 

She shot down the anchors according to Janae’s diagram, giving Kanan and Janae enough room to fly through the opening. But they had already drawn the attention of the Empire’s ships. Kanan saw a swarm of TIEs headed their way. 

“Hera!” He warned. 

“I see them.” She said. She shot down the last of the anchors. Even then, it was a tight fit. Too tight. With a jolt, the web sliced off the Ghost’s gunner turret. 

“Chopper, please patch that up for me!” She called. 

He must have heard the worry in her voice because he complied without sticking around to complain. 

“How’re you doing, Hera?” Kanan asked with a note of concern in his voice. He dodged fire from the three TIEs on his tail. 

“Fine, I airlocked the cockpit. Once I get those TIEs, rendezvous to the Repair Yard.”

But at that point there were now an almost overwhelming amount of TIEs following them. She entered the fray, quickly drawing attention to herself. As she hoped, TIEs broke off from the Phantom’s tail to chase her. She flew back through the gap and used the web to her advantage as a bottleneck then shot down the TIEs chasing her.

She saw the Phantom turn abruptly as Kanan shot down the three TIEs still following him. 

“Go!” Hera commanded. 

The Phantom jumped and was gone. 

She shot down a TIE and watched as it spiraled out of control and knocked another anchor out of alignment. For three seconds, her quadrant of the energy web went down. 

Three seconds was all she needed. She flew right past the cloud of enemy ships and jumped to hyperspace.


	6. The Repair Yard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Repairman is willing to fix the Ghost, but it’s going to take a few hours.

When Hera came out of hyperspace, the dirtblown planet Chalrix stood before her. She flew through smatterings of white clouds before landing next to the Phantom.

She exited her ship. “Nice work, Chop.” she said as she passed him on her way out.

Kanan was already talking to the Repairman, a being with skin the color of sand that was peeling off in some places. He was mostly humanoid except for his nose that curled inward and his small, beady black eyes. Hera didn’t know his name, or even if he had a name that wasn’t “the Repairman.” She did know that the man was his business, with no division between the two. 

She saw Janae standing close by them, who ran up to her to crush her into a hug. 

“Do you seriously do this all the time?” Janae asked her. “All the fighting?”

“Yes.” Hera replied firmly. “We fight for everything. We fight to survive and we fight to provide aid to people in need.” 

“I don’t know if I can do this.” She looked a little sick as she said it.

“Don’t worry, no one in the Rebellion will make you fight if you don’t want to.” Hera consoled her. But she knew that once things got desperate, not even the most reluctant fighter turned down the call to fight. She had no doubt that Janae would step up when she was needed. 

“I’m glad,” Janae said. For someone who designed weapons, she had seen very little violence.

Hera knew that Kanan was also glad to see her safe, but he hadn’t really been worried. Hera entered the conversation he was having with the Repairman. 

“How does it look?” She asked. 

The Repairman used his binocs to survey the damage. “Looks like I’ll have to replace the whole window,” he said. “I don’t have that part on hand, so I’ll have to make it myself.”

“How long will that take?” Kanan asked.

“About four hours, more if I meet any trouble.”

“We’ll wait here,” Hera decided. 

“Well, the cabins are to your disposal,” he gestured to an arc of glorified shacks, “all are empty, except for the big one in the middle. That one’s mine.”

They thanked him, then went to rest. Janae took the first cabin. “I’ll catch up with you later,” she promised Hera. 

Hera and Kanan took the third cabin. 

Once inside, Kanan asked, “Is this what you meant when you said we could ‘stop and refuel’?” 

“Maybe not, but it’s perfect.” Hera said. “We have four hours, a locked door, a bed, and no kids.”

“You make it sound so romantic.” Kanan said wryly. 

“You’re cute.”

“Right now, I’d rather be irresistible.”

“You’re always irresistible.” 

They were very close together. “Slow or fast?” Kanan asked. His mouth was dry at the thought of either. 

“Slow,” she replied. “We have time, let’s use it.”


	7. Mutual Understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Past history is shared and the future is explored.

When all was said and done, they were a sweaty mess. 

They laid together in content quiet for a while. But Hera couldn’t be quiet nearly as long as Kanan could. 

“Kanan, I want to tell you about my past with Janae. Are you ready to hear it?” She asked. 

He meditated on it for a moment. He realized that his current jealous attachment to Hera would only bring them both pain. Maybe that’s what the Order wanted the Jedi to avoid. Not attachment, but the evils that sometimes came with it. 

Could he leave his jealousy and anger behind? He reflected until he had his answer. 

“I’m ready,” he said. 

“I’m not telling you because you have the right to know. I’m telling you because I want you to know this piece of my history.” Her smile was gentle. “It’s a part of me, and it’s a part of me I want to share.” As she spoke, she entwined her fingers with his. Kanan put their hands to his chest. 

“I understand,” he said.

“We met on Rychol,” she began. “I was working for the Rebellion and she was doing a research project for the holovid she was screenwriting.” Hera’s eyes glazed over as she recalled the memories. “We were both attracted to each other from the start. We first got together for sex, but in time, our casual relationship developed into something more loving.” She met his eyes with a smile. 

Kanan touched his forehead to hers and closed his eyes.

Hera went on, “It couldn’t last. There isn’t any animosity between us, but we both regretted ending our relationship. Then I met you.” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear. 

“And then you met me,” Kanan said. He could tell there was more to Hera and Janae’s story, but he was content with whatever Hera wanted to share with him. 

They returned to the quiet enjoyment of each other’s company until Hera broke the moment when she suddenly exclaimed, “Karabast!”

“What?” He was alarmed. 

“There isn’t a shower in here!” Hera exclaimed. “Stars, I smell.”

Kanan started laughing. “You don’t smell worse than me!” He protested. 

She ignored him. “I guess I better start making use of that sink,” she sighed. 

***

Twenty minutes later they were as clean as they could be and dressed as they stepped up to Janae’s cabin. 

Kanan knocked and shouted, “Time to go!” He was surprised when the door immediately opened to reveal Janae wearing the same bright yellow headscarf, but she had changed into an equally bright pink jumpsuit. In the bright sunlight, Kanan could see bands of purple set in her brown skin, circling her eyes. 

“I’m ready.” Janae said simply. She turned to Hera. “Could I talk to you alone for a minute?”

“It’s long overdue,” Hera consented. She turned to Kanan. “Would you—“

“Yes, I’ll check up on the Ghost.”

“Thank you, dear.”

Janae watched the two of them wistfully. 

“I wish it was still that easy between us,” she explained when Kanan had left.

“It will be,” Hera promised. “You’re my friend. But it will be different this time.”

Janae’s expression was sad. “I’m not happy for you,” she said. “But I think I will be, in time. If I can’t be your lover, I want to begin fresh. As friends.”

“Do you think you can leave our past behind?”

“I can try.”

Hera bent her arms at the elbow, palms face up. Janae did the same. It was a piece of Janae’s culture that she had once shared with Hera, a Lenoan symbol of mutual understanding and respect. 

They walked back to Kanan and the Ghost together in companionable silence.

Kanan met them and reported that the ship had been fixed and paid for. All three boarded the Ghost together. But when Hera and Kanan passed through to the cockpit, Kanan realized that Janae had stayed behind in the Ghost’s commons. 

Hera took her seat at the helm with Kanan directly across from her. 

“What’s up with Janae?” he asked. 

“We’re giving each other some space,” she replied. 

Hera set the course back to the rebel fleet and made the jump to hyperspace.


End file.
